Read the winter 2019 issue of Our Big Backyard

As the former St. Johns Landfill transforms into St. Johns Prairie, native wildflowers and other plants are attracting rare birds, turtles and other wildlife. Plans are underway for a multi-use trail and scenic overlook.

As the former St. Johns Landfill transforms into St. Johns Prairie, native wildflowers and other plants are attracting rare birds, turtles and other wildlife. Plans are underway for a multi-use trail and scenic overlook.

Aerial view of Willamette Cove

Aerial view of the Willamette Cove property – one of the most complicated sites in Metro’s portfolio of parks, trails and natural areas.

An excavator builds a log jam to create habitat for fish at River Island Natural Area on the Clackamas River.

Learn more about a potential parks and nature bond measure that voters could see in 2019.

Sandy River at Oxbow Regional Park

Mark your calendars for the 17 days in 2019 when parking will be free at all Metro parks and boat ramps, including Oxbow Regional Park.

Read the winter 2019 issue of Our Big Backyard

Community members will soon have opportunities to shape the future of two places largely hidden from public view in North Portland: St. Johns Prairie and Willamette Cove.

Metro is restoring the former St. Johns Landfill, which received Portland's garbage for decades, into a prairie full of native wildflowers and other plants. St. Johns Prairie, part of Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area, will soon include a public trail to a scenic overlook offering views of four peaks.

A few miles south on the banks of the Willamette River, contamination from decades of industrial use restricted public access to Willamette Cove, a 27-acre Metro natural area. The site is included in the federal Environmental Protection Agency's Portland Harbor Superfund site.

Whether your roots in the region run generations deep or you moved to Oregon last week, you have your own reasons for loving this place – and Metro wants to keep it that way. Help shape the future of the greater Portland region and discover tools, services and places that make life better today.